Management Tip of the Day: Boost your chance of success

BOSTON (Reuters Life!) - There are some specific actions you can take to give yourself a better chance of reaching your goals, says Harvard Business Review.

<p>A man walks across an avenue during a rainy day in Iran's Capital, Tehran March 27, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl</p>

The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

”Natural talent gets far too much credit. Achieving your goals is less about who you are, and more about what you do.

Here are two ways you can give yourself better odds of succeeding:

1. Be specific. Be precise about what you are trying to achieve and when you will do it. It’s not enough to say you’ll clean out your inbox three days a week. Write in your calendar the exact days and times so you can hold yourself accountable.

2. Focus on what you will do, not what you won‘t. When trying to change behavior, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the bad habit. Focus on the substitute instead.

If you want to keep your temper in check, don’t dwell on the times you’ve lost it. Think about what you will do the next time you get angry.”

-Today’s management tip was adapted from the “Nine Things Successful People Do Differently” by Heidi Grant Halvorson.